Working with Lana Parrilla
by Evil Regina Parrilla
Summary: In this story you will meet a young girl named Maria, who is willing to go to any lengths to work on set with Lana Parrilla, as Merida from brave. But her mother will do anything to bring her home. Will her dreams come true, or will her mothers love get in the way?
1. Chapter 1

As she looked in the mirror, she saw nothing to be proud of. Her ginger hair was wild, her green eyes sorrowful, and her high cheek-boned face pudgy. Her weight was never a problem, but yet she never felt like she should be the weight she was. She always dreamed of becoming a role model. But as she looked in the mirror, Maria saw nothing to be proud of.

"I can't believe I'm actually going." Maria said, packing her final necessities.

"I can't believe your going either, but they always said you'd grow up too fast." Helping her daughter pack was simple, it was her departure that would be dreaded. But with Maria being the youngest, she could always pack up and live the gypsy life they wanted. Maybe she'd even visit.

"I just can't imagine, what's it's going to be like, finally meeting Perrilla and Carlyle. It's like only yesterday that I was watching season 1 episode 1. A dream come true is what it is." Maria zipped up her last bag, tugging to force it closed. "Mom I just want you to know before I leave, I love you."

"I love you too sweetie. Let me get your passport." She leaves the room, hoping to return and hear her baby wasn't leaving so early. "Here you go," she says returning, and handing her the passport.

"Thanks mom." Maria stood up, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Grabbing all her bags, she loaded them up into the huge pick-up. "And thanks again for the truck. It'll be great for car-pooling."

They said one last goodbye before Maria threw her purse in the passenger seat, and got in. "There's some money in the glovebox just in case."

Maria closed the door. "I'll be okay mom. Lana will take good care of me, I promise." Maria started the truck, her last words ringing in her mother's ear. Starting on the highway, she drove all the way to Vancouver, Canada, stopping once for the night.

Maria dialed the number she had been given for Lana. She was told not to call too much, because she was not to pester Lana. "Hello? May I ask who I am speaking to?"

"Yes, hello. It's Maria, I'm was told that I was staying with you until I could get me own place here in Vancouver."

"Ah yes, Maria. I know just who you are. Here, where are you? I can give you directions." Lana talked Maria through how to get to her house. The drive was only about a thirty minute addition to the prior thirty-six hours.

Maria pushed the doorbell, only having her purse in hand. Fred opened the door with a smile ear to ear. "Hello, Lana told me you'd be coming. She just ran up to the gas station to buy some soda."

"Oh, well thank you for inviting me into your lovely home." Taking off her jacket, Maria kicked off her shoes on a welcome mat. They seemed to blend somewhat with Lana's, only being a size and a half bigger.

Lana's black car pulled in the drive beside Maria's truck. Lana walked up with a twelve pack of beer and a twelve pack of Coke-a-Cola. Maria hung her jacket on the coat rack at Lana opened the door. "Hello!" Lana said brightly. "I'm surprised to see you got here so early in the morning."

Maria looked at the clock on her phone, realizing it was indeed only nine AM. "Oh, sorry. Was I too early?"

"No dear. I just didn't think you were gonna get here that fast. Usually there's a lot of traffic between here and Steveston." Lana handed the twelve packs to Fred, who took them into the kitchen. "Do you need help carrying in bags?"

"Well, I was gonna wait until later, but we can do it now." Maria slipped her heals back on, and headed back out to her truck. She punched the number in the keypad, grabbed her keys, and unlocked the tailgate. Hooking the keys to her belt loop, Maria grabbed first her back pack, then her duffle bag. Lana grabbed a suitcase as well as a trash bag with sleeping stuff and overnight necessities. Fred came out to close the tailgate and offered to take the duffle bag.

"Thanks for helping me bring this in," Maria said, following Lana up the stairs to the guest bedroom.

"It's no problem Maria, your our guest. We ought to treat you that way." Lana opened the door to the guest room, and put the trash bag on the bed, and the suit case at the foot of the bed. "We'll let you unpack, and we can go out for brunch, lunch whatever, when your done."

Lana left Maria alone in the bedroom to unpack. She started with her suitcase. Filling the drawers with her closed didn't take long. The had already been organized in the suitcase and duffle. Next she began on the backpack, which didn't take long, considering in was mostly art supplies, or school books she'd no longer need. Then came the overnight trash bag, which was mostly pillows, blankets, and make-up.

Before heading downstairs, Maria changed into a casual dress, and did a touch up on her eye make-up. It was only about eleven. "Ready," Mariah said walking down the stairs barefoot.

"Alright, let's go." Lana pulled on a pair of heels similar to Maria's. "I'll drive if you don't mind."

"No, I don't. It'll be a relief from the past couple days. I'm surprised I made it all the way here." They both laughed.

"That's what I figured," Lana added, getting in the car. It sat low, but not quite on the ground. "Is there anything specific you'd like?" Lana asked pulling out of the drive.

"No, not really. Just something that will taste good and is affordable."

Lana laughed, "Affordable? You act like I'll let you pay your own."

Arriving at 'Knight and Day', Maria realized they weren't that far from Bride Studios, where Lana's show was shooting. Lana ordered her 'usual' pancakes and hot cocoa, and Maria ordered an omelette. She didn't really heed the warning of their size, and ended up taking half of it back to the car in a to-go box.

But Lana didn't drive them home, she drove to the studio. "I figured you might want to meet your new extended family before your first day on the job." Lana said getting out.

"Only if it will change my fate," said Maria in a Scottish accent.


	2. Chapter 2

Walking into the studios, there were an uncountable number of stages. Maria followed Lana to stage forty-nine. The cast wasn't actually on set, they were mostly sitting amongst each other chatting, and fixing each other's outfits or make-up. There were a few designers and make-up artists, not really fitting in with the cast, but trying to make sure they were factually correct for the next set.

Lana cleared her throat. "Excuse me," the make-up artists and designers didn't quit working, while the cast listened to what Lana had to say. "This young, Scottish-American lady, is Maria. She will be joining us as Merida next season."

Everybody clapped, even though Maria didn't feel she deserved the applause. "Thank you, but I don't really need to be applauded, I didn't even do anything." She said, smiling.

"Well, you are a part of our family now," replied Ginnifer, giving Mariah a hug.

"Welcome," added Josh, joining the hug.

"You're all so inviting," said Maria, blushing. The artists and designers moved away from other cast members satisfied.

"It's what we do deary," said Robert in his Rumplestiltskin voice. Everybody laughed. Robert came in for a hug, careful not to make any skin contact. "The makeup took forever," he stated, not wanting to ruin it.

Adam and Eddie came into the set, oblivious to Maria's presence. "We're going to do another take in a few minutes, but if everybody is ready, we can start now." Everybody mumbled to themselves as if trying to decide wether to talk to Maria, or go do the scene. It didn't matter much to her, so they began right then.

Maria and Lana watched Rumple and Belle run a flashback scene. The scene took longer than expected, throwing off the schedule. They left, not to cause distraction. It was only about three when they arrived home in Vancouver.

Walking into the house, there was a strong aroma of perfume. Much like Maria's mothers. No doubt, walking into the living room, Maria's mother was sitting on the couch. "Lana, a word," Fred demanded from an armchair.

"O -ok." Lana was as shocked as anybody as far as the woman's presence. Fred grabbed Lana's arm, dragging her into the kitchen. "Wh- who is she?" Lana asked shaking Fred's grip off her arm.

They both peered into the living room where Maria seemed upset with the woman. "I don't know, she just showed up. Demanded to speak with Maria. I would've told her Maria didn't live here but she seemed to know better than that, and refused to leave."

Lana's head ached. "Sush. I think Maria knows who she is." They continued to pretend to utter words back and forth as they listened to Maria.

"What are you doing here?" Maria asked, confused and rubbing her temples.

"Well I came to visit." The woman said.

"It's only been two days mom. Are you really that worried? That you'd just show up on the doorstep of where I'm staying, demanding to see me?"

"Well yes," the woman sighed.

Maria shook her head in disappointment. "These are good people mother. They are letting me stay here, and they are taking good care of me, there was absolutely no reason for you to intrude on their home." Maria saw her mother was holding a beer. "Are- are you drunk?" Maria asked taking the bottle. It smelt of more than just beer.

"No!" Her mother protested. "I am not drunk!"

"I think you are," Maria said roughly. Then she continued more reasonably' "Listen to me. You cannot just show up unannounced, you cannot just yell surprise and it's okay. You need to go home."

The woman moaned in utter disbelief. "I'm not going home!" She yelled.

"Yes, you are." Mariah took the beer in the kitchen. "Listen, my mother has drinking problems. Hence one of the reasons I moved here. We have to get her home. She can't stay here, she'll ruin everything." Maria motioned with every word she said. "She never wanted me to leave in the first place, I'm sure she's going to do whatever it takes to make me go home. At lease in this state she will," Maria sighed, putting her right hand on the counter and picking up the beer with the other. She sniffed it again, making sure not to confuse the smell. "She spiked this with our homemade rum. It's a special recipe, one that supposed to knock you off your ass. For some reason, on her, it just makes her crazy."

Lana stared into the living room in disbelief. This woman drove thirty-six hours to try to ruin her daughters dreams, there was something off. "I can hook something up with the sheriff. If she goes as crazy as you implied, we might want her to stay in the station so she doesn't get arrested." Fred nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled." Maria headed into the living room. "Let's go mom, you're coming with us."

She shoved Maria away. "I told you I'm not going anywhere!" She said, pointing her finger at Maria's chest.

"Mom, let's go," Maria said her voice shaky. She stepped forward and grabbed her mothers arm, which was a bad move on her part.

Her mother slipped her in the face, almost knocking her over. "To hell if you'll take me to jail!" She screamed.

Maria stared at her mother in awe. She was rarely violent, but the rum always made her that way. That's why she usually made sure she couldn't get any of it. "Mom, your going. Now, before you do something you'll regret." Maria tried to grab her arm again, but was stopped dead in her tracks when her mother punched her in the face, and knocked her out cold.

"Maria!" Lana shrieked from the kitchen. She rushed to Maria's side on the floor, checking for a pulse. It was there and strong, but she was still unconscious.

"Alright, that's enough. Your definitely going now," Fred said from the kitchen. A tear rolled down Lana's face, but was quickly pushed away as she stood up.

"You better get your ass in that car, before I call the cops down here and the see what really happened." Lana spoke firmly, with no sense of weakness, even though she felt her adrenaline rushing from her head to toes.

Maria's mother brought her arm into a swing again, but failed to stoke Lana's face. Instead she struck Lana's palm. Lana's hand enclosed around the woman's fist, who was obviously shocked. Lana twisted her fist around the woman's back, keeping it right between her shoulder blades.

"Now, we can walk to the station, or I can call the cops." The woman's face was filled with pain, anger, and rage. Lana turned, and so did the woman. Lana was in complete control, but let Fred drive her to the sheriffs station.

Returning to the house, Lana ran to the kitchen to get an ice pack from the freezer. She set it on the coffee table, and lifted Maria onto the couch. Then she applied the ice pack to the cheek where Maria was stuck, and punched, both within ten minutes.

It was well after midnight when Maria woke up on the couch. The ice pack was warm, Lana was asleep, sitting on the arm of a chair, leaning on a sleeping Fred. Maria tried to sit up, but still felt paralyzed in fear. She wondered if her mother was still in the house, but fell asleep again, not wanting to find out.

Maria woke again around five AM. She was woke with a cold ice pack on her face, while it wasn't frozen, it wasn't warm. A figure was moving around in the kitchen. "Lana?" Maria uttered, trying to sit up.

"Oh my god, Mariah I thought you'd never wake back up," Lana said rushing into the living room.

"What exactly happened, is my mother still here?" Maria reached up and felt her cheek. She felt it was icy, and knew it was more than likely bruised.

"No, no, no. Fred drove her to the station last night. She had to listen to reason lets just say. Has your mother hit you before?"

"Yes." Maria sighed, giving Lana the ice pack and standing up. "She used to, when I was a little girl. She'd always drink too much of our homemade rum, get violent, and I'd be the one she took out her wrath on. My father stayed away when I was little, always at work. When I got older, work slowed for my dad, and he left my mother. When I was ten, I started hiding the rum, my mother barely could drink because it was never in the house. But when she did drink she was worse than when she drank all the time." Maria began walking toward the stairs, but stumbled and fell, and Lana had to help her up. "She evidentially, hadn't drank in two years until now. This is the first time she's ever actually knocked me out though."

Lana help Maria up by the arm, slowly climbing the stairs so she didn't trip and fall. When they reached the door, Maria insisted on being left alone to take a shower.

The guest bedroom had it's own bathroom, connected through a hallway that was used as a walk through closet. Maria closed the bedroom door. She felt a little hazy, but not as dazed or paralyzed as before.

As Maria took off her clothes before the mirror wall in the bathroom, she saw nothing to be proud of. She still saw scars from when she was little. She also had many skin discolorations where her mother had once bruised her body. Her hair, being let out of the bun it was tightly pulled in the day before, ran wild. Her green eyes filled with sorrow as she studied her unsymmetrical body. On Maria's left cheek, below the cheekbone, there was a long red handprint where she was slapped. Right in the palm of the hand print was a long narrow cut, from the tough of her mothers knuckles when she punched her.

Maria touched the cut, and the pain she felt was unbearable. The ice had numbed it before, but now it had worn off. Maria turned on a lukewarm temperature and stepped into the shower. Her hair matted down while it was wet, but when she stepped out of the shower and the air hit it, her hair seemed to poof.

Maria got dressed into a pair of skinny jeans and a simple blouse. Then she slipped her head upside down, and brushed out her hair. She allowed her hair to dry upside down, which didn't take long. Her hair was had lots of volume, and thanks to her new shampoo, wasn't very frizzy or staticky.

Maria grabbed her pair of pink stilettos, which matched her blouse, and walked down the stairs barefoot. Maria left her face untouched by make-up, hoping that the make-up artist could hide her cut from the cameras.

Lana had been eating in the kitchen when she saw Maria approach the bottom step. "Are you sure you want to shoot today?" She asked, putting her bowl in the sink and rinsing it.

"I'll drive." Maria said putting on her shoes when she reached the hard wood floor. Lana didn't try to argue, it probably wasn't best for either of them. Maria drove the pick-up to the studios, and reaching the group dressing room, realized they were the last to show up.

It took make-up a whole hour to try to hide the cut on her cheek, and though it was painful, Maria never let out a single cry, or shed a single tear. By the time make-up had finished, the designers had her dress lined up. Stepping behind one of the dressing walls, she changed in the group room. Lana was still trying to get into her dress when Maria had finished.

"Dear, will you help me get this on?" Lana said struggling to pull up her dress the rest of the way.

"Sure," Maria said, stepping behind Lana's wall instead of her own. Lana turned so her back was facing Maria. Maria grabbed the dress, pulling it up over Lana's corset. Then she laced the dress through both the corset and the dress, which would help keep it in place.

"Thanks," Lana said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Many of the other cast members, such as Robert, were still having hair and make-up done. Lana's make-up and outfit were on, but she still needed her hair done.

"Hey," said one of the hair-dressers. "We're short staff. Lana need's her hair curled before we can do anything. Could you?" He motioned at Maria, who nodded and got a curling iron. Returning to Lana, who had sat down in front of a mirror, she plugged the iron in.

Lana put on a final layer of mascara as Maria curled Lana's hair. When she was finished, the hairdresser who was working with Jennifer came over and began fixing Lana's hair into a half up braid. Maria probably could've done the hairstyle herself, had the hairdresser said what he wanted done.

On stage fifty-one, which was where we were shooting this scene, there was a large forest like set. The set began in the rock clearing, and extended to the cabin.

"Ready?" Eddie asked walking in.

Maria nodded. An animal specialist led out a black Clyde's dale, Angus, and helped Maria onto his saddle. Maria, having taken riding lessons once, had no problem riding the Clyde's dale onto the scene where the horse abruptly stopped and threw Maria onto a padded floor.

Maria immediately got up and asked 'Angus' what had bottom into him. Then the animal specialist lured the horse off set. "Cut!" Yelled Eddie. "Maria, I need you to hold onto the horse's ropes. Don't let him leave the stage."

She nodded, and took the shot again. This time she did it correctly, pulling the horse by its ropes to the edge of the forest. Maria gasped at the blue whisps, that weren't really there. "We should follow the whisps. Maybe they can help me change my fate." Maria said to the Clyde's Dale, who neighed.

Eddie cut the scene, and Robert got into position for the next. "You fate deary? No need to follow the whisps, you should've just asked!" Robert gave his Rumplestiltskin giggle.

"Who are you?" Asked Maria.

"Why, the question is not who am I, I think your question is who are you?" Robert bowed. "Rumplestiltskin," he said rolling his R, and emphasizing the spacing in the name.

"I am Merida, and I want to change me fate!" Maria answer nodding her head with false pride.

"Change your fate, change your fate, ah! Here we are. Change your fate." Robert handed Maria a small jar. "Pour it in your mothers food, she will change your fate."

"What will it do to her?" Maria asked, and the Clyde's dale pulled away, stomping it's hoof.

"It will change her of course, and your fate. But," Robert slipped out another jar as Maria hid hers in her dress. "It will cost you."

"I will do anything to change my fate."

"I do love when they say that." Robert flicked his wrist, and the scene cut. The next scene resumed with a contract in his hand.

"What is your price?" Maria asked, pretending to be eager by stepping closer to the contract. "You want my first born?" Maria asked.

"Only if the potion becomes permanent, which after twenty-four hours of the dosage, so, what will it be." Said Robert pulling a quill out of his pocket.

Maria grabbed the pen and scribbled Merida on the contract line. Robert gave another Rumplestiltskin giggle, and the scene cut. The scene continued with Maria pretending that she hadn't seen Robert exit stage left, and asking angus where Rumplestiltskin went.

The day continued with more flashback scenes from Merida. They mostly included rumple, however they also included Charming, and a cameo from the Evil Queen.

The complete set was over by six, and most of the cast had the next day off so the directors could cut and paste scenes together and add effects like whisps.

Maria was the first of anybody to be done changing. "I need your help again dear," called Lana. She struggled trying to unlace the corset and dress from each other. Maria unlaced the dress, waiting for Lana to take it off. Then she unlaced the corset, and handed Lana her blouse. Lana was able to get her skirt off, but it was difficult to get her hair down. There was so much hairspray involved in putting the braid in a crown beneath and around the curls.

Maria managed to brush most of the hairspray out within a hour. They almost the last two on set, but Robert was still there because he was still getting off his Rumple make-up.

Maria drove back to the house, where they picked up Fred, and went out to dinner.


	3. Chapter 3

Maria woke in the guest bed, which considering the night before, felt amazing. She didn't remember how she got there, but it didn't really matter to her. She stood up and looked in the mirror to see most of the red had vanished, but there was still black around the cut.

Maria didn't dare touch it again. It'd be too painful. Checking the clock, Maria took off her night-shirt and slipped on a solid baby blue tee. It was seven AM. Maria took off her hello kitty pajama pants, and slipped on a tight fitting short-skirt that matched the color of her shirt.

She found her pink shoes on the floor, and put them in the closet, grabbing her pair of blue ones. Maria decided not to put them on before going down the stairs. As she wandered into the kitchen, she realized she was the only one awake. So she grabbed a breakfast bar and decided to re-watch the first season of OUAT.

The show wasn't anything new, however it did not bore her. The show was pretty much all Maria watched ever since it first came out. And when there was nothing new to watch, she'd re-watch the old, or watch Parrilla interviews on YouTube.

Maria got to about episode four before Lana came dancing down the stairs. "Good morning" she practically sang.

"Good morning." Said Maria, turning off the tv.

"How was your sleep?" Lana asked grabbing a breakfast bar.

"Great but how did I get into my room last night? All I remember was dinner, then I woke upstairs." Maria moved over so Lana could sit on the couch with her.

"Fred carried you up. You had a glass of your mom's rum, and passed out on the way back." Lana began eating the small breakfast bar.

"I drank... My moms... rum? And I didn't... I don't know, kill somebody?"

Lana started laughing. "No. Turns out on you, the rum just makes you forget whatever you did."

"Yeah, speaking of the rum. Where is your bread and toaster?" Maria heads to the kitchen.

"Here I'll get it for you," Lana grabbed bread from the pantry and the toaster. Lana put two pieces in the toaster for burnt while Maria grabbed a cup of water. "So what shall we do today?"

"Well I've been here long enough, it is time."

"Time for what?"

"Lana your a L.A. Girl!" Maria set down the cup. "Shopping of course!" She said.

"Ahh, you want to go shopping. In Vancouver..." The toaster popped and Lana gave the toast to Maria on a paper towel. "How about, Steveston. I'll give you a grand tour."

Maria shrugged, "Sounds good to me." Maria ate the toast straight, knowing if she washed it down with anything it wouldn't work on the rum as well. Lana headed back upstairs and left Fred a note on the counter before taking Maria out to tour Steveston.

The tour was short, and after wards they began going through shops such as 'It's Posh'. After going through the town, they ate lunch and the Cannery Café, then went to the library.

It was about four when they started heading home. Lana's phone rang as they got in the car. "Hello? Yes. Sure. I can. Will do. Your welcome. Bye."

Lana started the car. "They want us to go in and watch the show before it airs, see about any animation or cutting errors."

"So were going to the studio instead of back to the house?"

"Yes ma'am." Lana said taking a turn.

"Fine by me. I'd like to see how my acting was." Maria watched as Steveston passed and they drove into Burnaby. The studio was less than a ten minute drive, and they were the first to arrive. Except for the editors and writers and such.

"I love you're shoes," Emilie said as she walked in, the third to arrive.

"Thanks Emilie. The really just... match." Emilie giggled at Maria's retort.

When everybody had arrived, they went to stage 56, where the Dark Castle was usually shot. It was almost completely green screen, which made it the best room to watch the video in.

The episode was exactly what Maria had been hoping to see. The flashbacks were blended nicely, but now it was time to shoot the Storybrook scenes. The cast was made aware that they were going to carpool out into the forest early tomorrow morning to start shooting.

They were all handed their scripts, and Maria studied hers. It wasn't too challenging, she hoped.

As the hair and make-up crew finished up, which didn't take long given they were shooting present day, Maria carpooled several of the cast members in her truck. A couple of other cars led her to where she was going, including a bus with last minute set items.

It was a decent and her passengers rushed out of the truck when they arrived. The truck really wasn't cramped, but maybe the cast members were eager to begin. So Maria stepped out of her truck, and onto the set. Then again the whole forest was the set, anywhere she stepped.

They weren't that far from the toll bridge, and quite frankly Maria found herself surprised to be walking in flats. They weren't really her choice though, they came with the green riding dress and Clyde's dale.

"Places everyone," Adam shouted over the murmurs. Maria took position with the animal specialist in the woods. Jarod took position on the other side of the toll bridge, 'walking' with Lana and Jennifer. "Action!" Adam shouted again over noise, that subsided very quickly.

The cameras began rolling and Maria rode the horse over the Toll bridge, almost running into the other actors, who scattered out of the way. The scene cut, and Maria pulled the horse's reins. "Whoa," she said calmly, and the horse slowed to a trot, then a walk, and doubled back to the other cast members.

"Maria, more bravery. You don't see the family on the bridge." The animal specialist grabbed the horse's reins and led it back to the start position. "Action!" Yelled Eddie this time, instead of Adam.

Maria rode in on the horse again with her definite confidence. The cast scattered before the Clyde's ran by them, and Maria doubled the horse back. "I'm so, very sorry," Maria said jumping of the horse. Maria never let go of the reins and the horse seemed unhappy to be there. "I didn't see you on the bridge," Maria began, but Lana cut her off.

"Are you nuts? You could seriously hurt somebody out here!" She spoke with an anger that wasn't her own. It was Regina's cop-ass attitude. How the character pulled it off however, was thanks to Lana.

"I said I was sorry," Maria said stroking the horse's neck.

"Mom, she's sorry. It's okay, nobody got hurt." Jarod put his hand on Lana's arm and spoke with the innocence of a young boy.

"Where am I anyway?" Maria stopped petting the horse.

"Your just outside of Storybrook." Jennifer replied, with a questioning to her voice. "You didn't know where your at?"

"No, I was just riding through the woods back home, and I stumbled upon this place. Last time I ended up in some place called the Enchanted Forest."

"Wait, you remember who you are?" Lana asked, I crossing her arms.

"Of course, how would I have forgotten?" Maria asked, turning her attention to Lana once more.

Lana and Jennifer began to whisper back and forth. Something about Maria not knowing about a curse. "What curse?" Maria interrupted.

"Its nothing," Jennifer started to reassure her, but Jarod interrupted and explained the enchanted forest. And how Merida probably came through a portal in the woods.

Maria put on a shocked face as he continued to ramble on about the stories. He didn't stop until Lana stopped him. "Welcome to Storybrook..." Lana implied she wanted a name.

"Merida." Maria answered, "My name is Merida."

The scene cut, and resumed back in Steveston. With Jennifer, Jarod, and Lana showing Maria to 'Granny's bed and breakfast'. They parted way and the scene must've been good enough because they only re-shot a few bits and pieces of it. The next part they shot was Henry, explaining to Regina and Emma in Granny's, that Merida too, was in the story book. That's where the episode cut to a flash back again. Shooting the rest of the episode took a few more tiring days, but was finally ready for the release on March 3rd.

Lana popped some popcorn, Fred had already gone to bed, and Maria switched the T.V. to ABC. "ABC, Characters Welcome." A narrator said as the channel came in.

Lana plopped down on the opposite side of the couch as Maria, setting the popcorn between them. A commercial about another T.V. show came on. Ignoring it, they both began eating popcorn. The commercial was short, and rushed into the events of the episode. During commercials they'd critique the acting they'd just saw, however they stayed silent when the show was on.

The show ended at ten, as usual. Maria yawned, and propped her self up so she was sitting straight again with her hands in her lap, criss cross. Lana took the popcorn in the kitchen, "That was great."

"Yeah, I probably could've done better."

"You think so? I don't think that's possible."

"Well I guess it is. It's never enough." Maria stretched her legs across the couch before Lana came back.

"Now why would you think that? It was great." Lana came back and sat on the edge of the couch in front of Maria's legs.

"Because that's what I was always told I guess. I've always expected more of myself because others do." Maria let her head fall back, her hair dropping over the arm of the couch.

"Well," Lana paused. "I guess you can't always listen to others. Listen," Lana grappled Maria's hand, and she held her head back up to face Lana. "You can't possibly think you aren't enough. You can't keep apologizing for things that aren't your fault. You can't keep looking down on yourself. Lift that head, your tiara is falling."

"You really think I'm good enough?" Maria had never heard the words from someone else before. Not even her own mother.

"Yes," Lana said standing up. "Now, get some sleep. You're starting school tomorrow."

"Wait school? I'm going to a real school? I thought I was getting online classes," Maria dropped her feet to the ground and stood.

"I'm not going to give you that kind of luxury. Your gonna go to school, your gonna have a Prom, your gonna have a normal teenage life." Maria began heading up the stairs, and she felt like maybe Lana should've been her mother. She seemed to give of the mother vibe, even though she only had three Stepsons, who she didn't raise.


	4. Chapter 4

"Maria, Maria, wake up hon." Maria woke to Lana's voice, and her gently shaking her arm. It was like a scene from a movie, when the character is late and their mother comes to wake them. Only difference, Maria wasn't late.

"I'm up." Maria groaned, sitting up. "How much time do I have?"

"About an hour. I can drop you off, or you can drive yourself, that's up to you. I made you a lunch on the counter, trust me the school lunches where your going aren't the greatest, or so I've been told. I'll be downstairs if you need me." Lana walked out of the room, leaving Maria to dwell.

Shower time. Maria took about twenty minutes to show average, and took a half hour on her hair, trying to keep the mess down. Finally she threw it in a messy, high, side ponytail. Maria barely bothered to cover her cheek, but put on a layer of mascara.

Maria had thrown on a pair of skinny jeans, a blouse, and a fashion scarf. Given she couldn't find her tennis shoes, she also threw on her black pair of stilettos to match the green outfit. Walking down the stairs, Maria stopped in the doorway long enough to declare she would drive herself to school.

The school parking lot was almost full as Maria arrived. She checked the clock and realized Lana sent her early so she could get the on time, yet barely. The office building was busy with several woman taking phone calls, several men filing paperwork, and both scattering through desks or talking to students. "Hello, how may I help you?" A woman asked putting down the phone she was on.

"I'm a new student I need my class schedule." Maria shrugged her backpack to straighten it.

"Your name is..." The woman rolled her wrists in a fashion mostly high schoolers do.

"Maria, Maria Morris." Maria seemed to be paying more attention now to the woman than anyone else.

"Ah, here you are Maria. Here is your class schedule, let me call you someone to show you around." A bell rang through the hallways, and several of the busy people in the office left, they must've actually been mostly students, instead of mostly adults.

A boy, about a year younger than Maria tried to slip out of the office. "Ah, ah, uh. I know you heard my Dylan. Show Maria around the school." He turned around foolishly.

"Yes ma'am," he said to her before he even had the chance to look at Maria. Maria followed him out of the office. "This is the main hall, what grade are you in?" He drops back to her pace so he can look at her schedule. "Sophomore. Nice, your hall is this way."

Dylan led Maria down B Hall. "Most of your classes will be in this hallway, but if you need any help finding them, I'm sure someone else can help you."

"Wait. Dylan, didn't you play young Baelfire on the show Once Upon A Time?" Maria stepped in his path so he couldn't get past.

He groaned. "Does everybody know me for that? That like me going up to you one day and asking if you play Merida. It's not an ideal conversation starter."

"I do." Maria stepped out of his way, but he seemed to confused to continue walking.

"You do what?"

"I play Merida on the show. I just thought you looked familiar, I'm sorry if you-"

"No, no, no. Don't be sorry. If anything I should be apologizing for being so rude." He bowed, "I'm Dylan Schmid." He didn't rise, and Maria laughed. "What?"

"I'm not royalty, you don't need to bow, and I'm seen rude, your nothing of the sort." Maria looked at her schedule again. "Now, can you help me find, locker, Two, fifty-seven" Maria dropped her hand to her side, not letting go of the schedule.

"Sure, it's this way." Dylan led Maria to her locker, then her first class, but let the rest of it to her. Most students welcomed Maria, but some sneered at her 'vintage hairstyle' or her 'Hollywood clothes'. The teachers didn't appreciate the snide comments, but didn't do much to stop them.

Maria went to Math first, then English, U.S. History, and science. After lunch Maria headed for a more enjoyable class, French. "Hey Dylan," Dylan was standing next to her locker. "Can you show me where the French room is?" She didn't find it strange him standing there, he was supposed to show her around.

"That's what I'm here for. Like you, I have to take a second language. And my second language, is fifth hour French." He waited for her to get her supplies out of her locker. "This way," he said taking the lead.

Maria caught up to his side, making sure he wasn't in front of her. "Why did you take french?" Maria asked, shifting her books from one arm to the other.

The clicking of her heals lined up with the rhythm of his voice. "My family is french speaking, so I figured it'd be the easiest, and most useful language to learn."

"Oh."

"Why did you take french?" He asked opening the door to the classroom. It was nearly empty, and there was still two minutes to the bell.

"Well, my older stepsister took french, and so did my brother, but I never see them anymore. A couple of my friends also took french, and the teacher at my school was really nice." Maria set her books down in the far back corner, next to the window.

Dylan put his books down at the seat next to her. "I see. Then we took French for similar reasons. And don't worry about the teacher here, she's really nice too." He smiled as they both took a seat, and a group of ten pushed through the door as the bell was ringing.

"Late, late, late!" The teacher slapped a yardstick on her desk as she spoke.

Dylan turned to Maria and whispered, "Maybe I lied a little bit, let's hope there was some truth to what I said."

"I heard that Mr. Schmid!" Dylan slung back to his own desk and smiled widely as everybody in the class looked at him. "Now, who did the homework?"

Nobody in the class raised their hand, but instead pulled out the homework she was implying. Maria wasn't sure what to do. "Young Lady, what is your name?"

The class turned to face Maria. "Uh, I'm new here-"

"I know your new! What's your name?" The teacher looked very cross.

"Maria." She slumped in her chair as the class looked away.

"Everybody this is Maria, somebody get her a copy of the Vocabulary." The teacher turned around the write on the chalkboard, and Dylan shuffled through his papers.

"Here, you can copy these." Dylan handed her a list of vocabulary words that was a mile long.

"Thanks," She whispered back to him, and shoved the list of neatly written vocab words in her binder. "I'll give it back to you tomorrow." Maria flipped open a note book to a new page, and began copying what the teacher had written down.

After French, Maria hustled to the band room. She had ran into a trumpet player with the ego a size of an Africa before class, and followed him to the band room. Most students were changing into gym clothes. Maria approached the band director.

"Hello?" She asked, stepping into his office.

"Busy. Go get your gym clothes on child." He continued working on his paperwork without looking up.

"I don't have gym clothes, or my instrument."

The director looked up in astonishment. "Your quite a yuppie aren't you? Doesn't matter. You'll sit in the bleachers. Here is your missing instrument form, take it home get it signed. Go ask the Drum Major for your music, I'm sure he'll have a copy."

"Okay," Maria muttered accepting the sheet and approaching the trumpet player she met in the hallway. "Who is the Drum Major?"

"That would be me, Daniel, and that girl over there," he pointed at a Senior playing a bass clarinet. "Her name is Myvanwy but every one calls her Miv."

"Great, you can help me then. The director told me to ask a Drum Major for my music."

He gave his trumpet to Maria. "Here," he said flipping through a stack of parts. "What instrument?"

"Bass clarinet," Maria said changing the hand that she held the trumpet in.

"Ah, another one. Welcome to the family." Daniel handed her 3 stapled packets of music. "Learn these by next week and you'll be fine."

"Thanks." Maria handed his trumpet back to him. When the band headed out, Maria sat in the stands. Reading through her part as they played, Maria critiqued the band. They weren't bad, but not as good as the band back home.

The class ended, and two hours had passed. Maria didn't see Dylan again for most of the week. She got used to the 'yuppie' remarks people said about her. So she started dressing down a little more, and finally found her tennis shoes.

Maria spent a few hours in the studio every day. Between french, band, and time in the studio, Maria almost never actually talked to Lana, or anyone else for that matter.

"Hey Maria, you gotta sec?" Lana knocked on the closed door.

Maria put down her Bass Clarinet and cleared a spot on her bed. "Yeah," she called, still clearing.

Lana opened the door. "I noticed you've been hiding in here since last week. Is there something wrong?" Lana sat down in the spot Maria cleared for her.

"No, nothing like that. I've just been trying to memorize these songs for band, and the number of vocabulary words we have in both French and English are outrageous." Maria began putting away the bass. Piece by piece into its large case on the floor.

"Oh, well your definitely living a normal teenage life." They both laughed.

"Is the something you wanted to do? I could use a break from all this work." Maria shut the instrument case.

"I didn't really have anything in mind." Lana said standing up. She began pacing the room slowly. "Let me think."

"Well, we've been bust lately, how 'bout a spa day?" Maria said stacking her papers into their corresponding binders.

Lana stopped. "Works for me," she said more cheery than she sounded when she entered. "When do you have time?"

"Now is fine. I have a football game tomorrow, but I could probably study a little less on the vocab."

"Then let's go," Lana said pulling Maria up by her arms.

"In this?" Maria was wearing a pair of sweatpants and an old tee, she had barely bothered with her hair or makeup that morning.

"It's a spa, not the Olympics!" Lana said handing Maria a pair of tennis shoes.

"Okay, okay." Maria shoved on the shoes and grabbed a hoodie before leaving. She tried to pull her hair up in the car, which Lana persisted on driving, to let Maria truly relax. They didn't talk on the way there, there really wasn't anything to talk about.

"Here we are," Lana said breaking the silence. Maria had fallen asleep on the car door. She didn't look to comfortable, so Lana nudged her shoulder to awake her.

"What?"

"Were here." Lana shut off the car.

"Oh." Maria opened her car door, stretching first her legs. She yawned as she stepped out, and stretched her arms like a baby giraffe would first stretch it's neck.

"Good nap?" Lana asked closing her car door.

"It was great, and this will be even better," Maria dropped her arms to her side and followed Lana into the spa.

"Reservations for Parrilla," Lana spoke quietly. Maybe she didn't want to disturb others, maybe she didn't want a mob attack, it was unclear.

"Alright, Miss Parrilla, here are your passes. There are schedules on the wall." The man behind the desk pointed toward a wall plastered with pamphlets.

"So what do we do first?" Lana asked handing Maria a pamphlet with all the things to do in it.

"Well, a steam room doesn't sound bad right about now. Then we can do mud baths, then mani-pedis. Sound good?"

"Whatever you want. Lead the way." Lana followed Maria to a locker-room outside the steam room. They both grabbed towels and undressed, wrapping themselves in towels. As they entered the steam room, the was only one other person, a sleeping older woman.

Sitting down on benches not close, yet not far apart, Lana asked Maria, "How is school going?"

"It's good, I met Dylan Schmid. He is amazing in the arts, and by arts I mean second language, and acting."

"Dylan, oh! The guy who played Bælfire." Lana relaxed her shoulders and closed her eyes. "I remember him, he was quite talented. He was helped teach me some basic french."

Maria also leaned back and closed her eyes, picturing his face. She felt bad for not hanging out with him more. "Yeah, he's really helping me with our French vocabulary."

"You know you can tell me anything right?" Lana said, unmoving.

"Of course," Maria opened her eyes and his image disappeared. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, were on a spa day, and you just so happened to mention a boy. A boy that crossed your mind, on a day of relaxation. Are you sure he's just a tutor?" Lana opened her eyes and faced Maria, who seemed to be looking for an excuse to have mentioned Dylan.

"Yeah," she stuttered. "He just has been helping me, and you asked me about school," she continued to stutter as she spoke. Lana gave Maria a logical stare, showing she knew that she was lying. "Fine." Maria said. She shrugged her shoulders and leaned back. "I have a crush on him," she admitted.

"Tell me everything, so secrets."

"No secrets?" Maria threw on her sweatpants.

"No secrets." Lana said grabbing her phone.

"Alright. Ever since I was thirteen, I've had a huge crush on him. When I first saw him on T.V., playing Bælfire." Maria grabbed her hoodie and started walking toward the salon.

Lana followed. "Since you were-, wait you've had a crush on him since you first saw him? You didn't even know him."

Maria gave Lana a cold glance. "I was thirteen, and thought I'd never meet him. He was or is rather, hot, and has a similar passion to mine. Of course I liked him." Maria pulled her cellphone out of her pants pocket.

Maria began scrolling through her feed on Twitter, where people from school began calling her an obsessive freak because of all her 'EvilRegal' posts, and posts about Lana / Regina.

"Ah, I see." Lana said as Maria reached about the fifth comment. "Hey," Lana snapped her fingers between Maria and the phone. "You alright there?"

"Yeah," Maria said turning off her screen. She shoved her phone in her pocket, "Nothing to worry about."

As they reached the Salon, Lana realized it was more popular than the steam room, but she'd do as Maria wished. Maria was more like a daughter to her than any of her sons were her sons. Mostly because her sons were grown up when Lana and Fred married, and weren't around that much.

"Hello," a woman stood up and gave them each a piece of paper. The paper requested names, and what they'd like done with their nails. Lana and Maria agreed on black with french red tips and red apples drawn on their ring fingers. For their toes they decided to keep it black with french red tips.

Two different women called them up at the same time. Maria got acrylics, but Lana didn't need them as her nails were long enough for the design. When they were finished, they took a picture showing off their nails, and posted them on their Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Maria checked her twitter again as they headed home from the salon. There were many posts about how stupid Maria was, and how the photos of them were fake. Maria's face turned pale. She put her phone down gently on her lap and stared out the window, trying not to cry.

This was supposed to be a new town, a new life. Her mother wasn't supposed to barge in, her classmates weren't supposed to hate her. The only good thing that came with getting the job on Once Upon A Time, was Lana.

Maria didn't speak much at Dinner, which Fred cooked. He was surprised to see anyone turn down his cooking, but Maria wasn't hungry. At least she didn't feel hungry. She just felt tired. Maria went to her room around six-thirty, and was sleeping when Lana checked in on her at eight. Lana pulled the covers up to Maria's shoulder. Maria's body readjusted to fix the blanket at Lana left, but Maria's mind was an absence that night.

The alarm clock on Maria's phone went off, reminding her to be thankful she plugged it in before going to bed. She sat up, and decided she didn't have enough time to take a shower. So she used her fingers pull her hair into a pony, and brushed out the ponytail. It was less painful than another way. Maria brushed the rest of her hair when she took out the pony, and positioned a side pony near the top-back-right side of her head.

Maria's ponytail was a little messy, but she gave up tying to fix it. Finally she put on her green outfit, the one Lana gave her because she'd outgrown it, and her black heels. She may have given up on her hair this morning, but this was her style. Maria layered on black mascara instead of brown, because the black was waterproof.

Maria arrived to school without ever saying goodbye to Lana, she was still in bed when Maria left. When Maria arrived, there were still a few good parking spaces left. Maria hopped down from the truck barefoot, pulling on her shoes again afterward. Dylan and Maria had the same idea of studying french by the fountain before school began.

Dylan passed by, almost ignoring Maria, but couldn't bring himself to do something so hurtful towards her. "Hey," he said sitting down on the edge of the fountain next to her.

Maria closed her books. "Why do they say such mean things about me?" She looked at him, trying to find comfort in his eyes.

"They think it's okay. But it's not, did you tell Lana?" His green eyes seemed to long for her happiness as much as her own did.

"No, I couldn't bring myself to. We were having such a great night last night." Maria turned her whole body to face Dylan.

"You have to tell her. It's the only way things will get better. People around here aren't very accepting."

A single tear rolled down Maria's face. "I don't understand. But I guess this is what I get for finally put my hope in something."

Dylan wrapped her in a hug. "It'll get better, but you have to tell Lana. We all know how much she hates secrets."

Maria nodded, and he let her go as the bell rang. "C'mon, you have to get to first hour." Maria stumbled through school the whole day getting snide remarks about being a liar, and a fake, or a stalker.


	5. Chapter 5

As Maria returned home, Lana's car was gone. She'd figured maybe Lana just went out to the store. Maria grabbed her keys. Putting them in the door, she realized it was already unlocked, and pushed the door open.

Maria gasped in horror breathless. When she finally gathered enough air to do anything, she let out a shrill scream. Falling to her knees, Maria saw the further details and began crying.

Lana came home, rushing to the door to see why Maria was kneeling in the doorway. Lana didn't look inside the house, she immediately turned all attention to Maria. "What's happened?"

Maria turned to Lana and began sobbing. "Don't look," she said through muffled tears. Lana pulled her into a hug.

"Don't look at what sweetie?" Lana asked, stroking Maria's head. Maria limply pointed into the house. A few neighbors began stepping out of their houses, and an ambulance as well as police showed up.

The sheriff stepped out of his car, running up to Lana and Maria. He helped Maria to her feet and dragged her out of the way, letting medical examiners into the house. Lana still hadn't seen what had happened.

"He has a pulse!" Yelled a female Examiner from the kitchen.

"What happened exactly?" Lana asked facing Maria.

A male examiner came up in front of her. "One of your neighbors called the police, they said that there was a shrill shriek and a girl sobbing on the porch. The police had our hospital send a bus just in case."

"No, what happened inside?" Lana moved an inch closer to Maria, putting her arm around her and closing the gap between them.

"Well, it appears someone broke into your house, the lock was untouched, but a window was broke out in the back of the house. Your husband was laying on the floor, we've yet to determine who, or what struck him, but whoever it was left him alive. They wanted him to suffer, to die there. If The neighbors hadn't called when they did, your husband probably would've died there."

The female examiner brought Fred out on a stretcher, and several men helped her lift him into the ambulance. She hopped in the back with him and put him on oxygen. Lana and Maria both got into the car, and followed the ambulance to the hospital. The sheriff locked up the door, and put tarp in the window's place.

"Get him in surgery, STAT!" Yelled one of the male examiners as they pushed the stretcher through the halls. Lana had given her keys to the female examiner and told her to park it. Now they ran with the nurses through the halls.

One of the nurses pushing the stretcher insisted that Lana and Maria couldn't enter the room. They were right of course, pedestrians couldn't go into the surgery room when they were operating, but it still hurt. Lana and Maria were redirected to a waiting room. Maria managed to wipe away the tears, but she still felt miserable. She felt as if it was her fault Fred was injured.

Lana didn't let go of Maria, both huddled together in a fetal position, awaiting the news of Fred. Maria fell asleep, exhausted from everything. A nurse came out of the back. She turned to Lana, and quietly;

"Fred will be okay, but he needs to rest. There was blunt force head trauma, something like a vase, maybe." Lana nudged Maria off onto arm of the waiting room couch. She didn't wake.

"Okay. Thank you, when can we see him?"

The nurse replied, "as I just told you, he needs rest. If he progresses well he should be out of the here by Monday. However, he can't have any visitors before then."

Lana sighed, then the nurse apologized and left. She thought about how much longer it could take him to recover, and was glad it was only a few days. Lana woke Maria just enough to get her to the car, then in the house.

Maria's alarm went off again, yet today it rang earlier so she had time to shower. Despite her shower, and surprisingly tame hair, Maria didn't feel like dressing in her usual. She threw on a pair of yoga pants, her black tennis shoes, and a black cami-top. Over her black cami-top she threw on a pink designer sweatshirt, one that was hand-knitted.

Maria again left before Lana got up, and sat at the fountain. She half-expected Dylan to walk by, but he didn't. He seemed to be missing, everywhere she went, but that was mostly because she didn't have classes with him. When she went to French, she hadn't held her hopes high, and expected to tell the teacher he would be absent from his seat.

Maria put he head on her desk, waiting for the bell to ring. "What's got you so down?" Dylan asked, setting his stuff in his usual seat.

"Dylan?" Maria questioned his name, as if she couldn't fathom the fact that he was actually there.

"What?" He asked, fetching something was up from her tone.

A tear ran down her face and she dropped her head back to the desk. "I shouldn't bother you with my problems," she replied weakly and sighed.

"You can bother me with any problem, it's not really a problem." Dylan sat down to face her, just as the bell rang.

"Je suis la collecte votre vocabulaire feuillus," The teacher passed around a basket for the students to put their vocab worksheets in. "Lindsey, passent par le prochain paquet de vocabulaire." A student named Lindsey, who had also been making remarks about Maria, began passing out new vocabulary packets.

Maria hadn't even picked up her pencil when the bell for Band class rang. "Here," Dylan passed her a sheet of paper. It was a list of vocabulary words, along with several words that weren't in the teachers era of teaching. Several words were highlighted specifically, but Maria was too down to translate them.

Maria stumble through band class, barely keeping the right tempos and marches. Everything she played seemed to be in the style of jazz or blues. Her band director didn't yell at her once, but she got a ton of crap from her other band members, especially the drum majors.

When the bell rang, Maria stumbled to her truck. She stared at the list Dylan had given her, but drove home without translation. When she got home, Maria grabbed a mini bag of chips from atop the fridge, and headed to her room. Sitting in her bed, she couldn't help but thinking she might be missing something by not translating Dylan's note.

She pulled it out of her pocket, still neatly folded as it was when he gave it to her. She unfolded it again, and laid it flat on the bed before her. Staring at it a while, Maria began reading the highlighted words together, like a sentence. "Me rencontrer à Cannery dîner à Steveston à quatre. Je suis que vous I'aimez." Maria read to herself. She read it again and again, incapable of figuring out wether she should go or not.

Finally she decided she better just go, before she missed her chance. Leaving the house at three-thirty, Maria headed toward the Cannery Café in Steveston. The usual staff was there, dressed in their usual work clothes. "Welcome," greeted on of the waitresses, passing by to take someone a coffee. It was a seat yourself place, so Maria tried to find Dylan.

Another waitress came over. "He's over there," she said pointing to a booth in the back corner. I was going to ask how she knew who I was looking for, but he probably asked her to keep a look out. So Maria gathered what was left of her strength, and headed for the back booth.

She slid into the booth, and Dylan looked up from his phone. He seemed to be watching the clock. "Hey," he said in a monotone.

"Hey," she said in a weakened voice. "Why'd you pick here?"

"Well it's a festive place. And I know you always wanted to try the hot cocoa with cinnamon. So I ordered you one." On cue, a teenage waitress brought them each a hot cocoa with cinnamon. "So, will you tell me what's wrong now?"

She looked at him and her spirits dropped. "I told you I didn't want to drag you into my problems." She reluctantly took a drink of the cocoa. It was like nothing she'd tasted before, and she could taste why it made its debut on the T.V. show.

He grabbed her left hand with his right. "If I didn't want to be dragged in, would I have asked you here?"

Maria sighed, knowing he was right. She explained to him everything that had happened since Vancouver, leaving out small details such as the steam room, and her crush on him.

"All that, really?" He wasn't smiling, and his eyes seemed to be on the edge of despair.

She nodded. In one quick movement, Dylan went from sitting across from her, to sitting next to her. Pulling Maria into a hug, he felt something was just right about it. "Everything will be okay, I promise." Maria nodded as he released her from the hug. "Can we get a refill?" He asked.

A waitress, the one who'd directed Maria to Dylan, came by and swept up their cups, bringing back another round of hot cocoa and cinnamon. "I don't suppose your up for anything much tonight," Dylan said picking up his cocoa. It was hot and it burnt his mouth, but he didn't show any pain.

"That depends on what I'm supposed to be up to doing." Maria said grabbing her cup with both hands to keep them warm.

"Well, I was thinking a short ride, and our destination will be a surprise."

"I guess," Maria said taking one last sip of the hot cocoa.

Dylan grabbed his cost from the booth, then her hand and led her out to his car. He opened the passenger door for her, then got in the drivers seat. Turning on the engine, nothing but static came through his radio. "One of these days I'll have it fixed," he promised her turning off the radio.

Maria watched out the window as the sky became more grey, and the air more cold. She wondered where they were headed just as the car stopped. "Close you eyes," Dylan said turning off the engine. Maria closed her eyes, and her opened the door for her. "No peeking." He grabbed her hand and led her way to something over wood-chips. He helped her up to sit on something of wood, she couldn't tell what. "Open your eyes."

Maria opened her eyes to see a grand park in front of her, but as she wondered where she was sitting, she looked next to and above her. "The castle? You-" she smiled. "You brought me to the castle?"

"Well it's a magical place." She was unsure what he meant by that, but it became very clear in the next few moments. Dylan stepped forward, his stomach between her legs, and kissed her. Maria was very surprised by the notion, but somehow found a way to push aside her worry, and kiss him back. She wrapped her legs around his back, and he pulled her off the wooden castle, carrying her to a bench. He set her down on the bench, and sat next to her.

"Very magical," Maria reminded him, or maybe she was reminding herself not all things were bad. That maybe she could have a happy ending. After all Lana said everybody deserved one, why would she not? She went to kiss him again, but shivered before getting the chance.

"Here," Dylan took his leather off, and gave it to her, leaving him nothing to protect from the cold, but a jacket.

She pulled his jacket on and it fit snug. Not a bad kind, like an old hoodie, that you love so much you can't bear parting with. But this wasn't old, this was new, and she liked it.


End file.
